Why Pocket Scrapbooking Might Be For You

Pocket scrapbooking - or as you may know it as Project Life - has become pretty popular, don't you think?  I finally jumped on the train just as it was leaving the station and now I'm hooked.  I started by buying those cute little cards to add a hint of design and inspiration to my planner (hooray, this month I'm moving into my first, official Filofax!) but soon I realized that I wanted to do more with them.  So I decided to try out Pocket Scrapbooking.

I bought a bunch of different inserts from Michael's when they had a 40% off sale on paper supplies and jumped in, in the middle of August.  So far to get my feet wet I'm doing a mini-album of our relationship so far.  I crammed 1.5 years into a small, SNAP 6x8 album.  And let me tell you - I was afraid to start too big because I didn't want the pressure to fill every single space and I was afraid to start too small because I might out grow the album in a few, short pages.  For me, the 6x8 was the perfect size to jump into.  Now I think I might continue with the 6x8 size.

Scrapbooking was something I always wanted to do but never wanted to devote the time to.  I felt I wasn't creative enough to fill a whole 12x12 page.  I even tried digital scrapbooking for a while and that didn't do anything for me either.  But pocket scrapbooking seems to be perfect for me.  If you've want to scrapbook but aren't sure what to do, pocket scrapbooking might be for you - here's why:

It is a perfect blend of the ease of traditional photo albums and the creativity of scrapbooking - It really is this simple: Print photos, choose cards, slip in pockets, repeat.  You don't have to get fancy if you don't want to.  I've always loved the traditional feeling of photo albums with the plastic sleeves.  But I've also loved the twist that designing a page gives.  Pocket scrapbooking gives you the ease of both!  Cards are already designed to fit in with different themes, you can find them for free (check out my free September cards here), or even make your own.  Then all you have to do is add your photos straight from your at home printer (or you can have them printed by a 3rd party, of course) and you can have a page done in no time.  I believe the idea is to do a week at a time so in about 2-5 hours, depending on your dedication, you could have your spread done and move on.  I feel like there is less pressure to create something perfect because the idea is to capture your memories in the easiest way possible.

It appeals to the craft collector in you - I have always collected scrapbook paper just because it was pretty.  This year I wanted to use my scrapbook paper so I started off with it in my planner but now I've realized that adding the things I collect is a part of this scrapbook too.  You can add receipts, fortunes, leaves, or really anything to these pages by slipping them in the pockets.  You've got a small piece of a treasured scrapbook paper?  Throw it in there.  It adds to the design.  It gives you an excuse to collect the things you like to collect and a reason to keep them.  I've seen others do mini albums in addition to their larger albums just for certain memories - like a summer album where you put sand in a little pocket and tape it off just so you can keep that memory.  Collect all the things!

It's the easiest way to keep your memories - There is little to no stress involved...as nothing is truly permanent and nothing has to be perfect.  If you don't want to glue things down, don't.  Rearrange to your hearts content!  Don't have perfect handwriting? Even better, scribble on in there.  This is about keeping memories not perfection.  You'll be surprised how impressive your spread looks if you just go with the flow and slip in and out what you choose.  

Overall, I was surprised how much I found I liked doing pocket scrapbooking!  You can be as creative as you want to be and there's no right or wrong answer.  My favorite part has to be all the little cards you can collect and use.  They all are so pretty and they all fit great into different spreads.  Mixing and matching is fun and it takes the stress out of pulling elements together.

Do you like pocket scrapbooking?  What is your favorite part?  What sold it for you?

xoxo, Moe